Sanitary receptacle for crackers and the like



Feb. 21, 1939. E. STEVENS- 2,148,382

SANITARY RECEPT ACLE FOR CRACKERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 15, 193'? AZ507 e Z75 Patented Feb. 21, 1939 PATENT OFFICE SANITARY RECEPTACLE FORCRACKERS AND THE. LIKE John E. Stevens Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, CanadaApplication March 15, 1937, Serial No. 130,858

3 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing containers of a type particularlyadapted for holding crackers relatively, thin biscuits and the like.

It is an object of my invention to provide a holder which will contain anumber of crackers but which will present only a few at a time availablefor removal.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a cracker containerand the like which will successively present crackers to a positionWhere they may be easily removed after other crackers have beenwithdrawn from their container.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cover which willprotect most of the articles in the container from dust, etc., and, atthe same time, not interfere with their removal.

These and further objects and advantages of the invention will morefully appear from the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to thesame or similar parts throughout the views and, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation with a portion of one of the sides brokenaway; and

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The holder or container shown in the drawing may be made of metal or anyother suitable material, although I prefer it to be molded from hardrubber, Bakelite or a similar composition which is light in weight and,at the same time, is not easily broken.

In the particular embodiment illustrated, the body of the receptacle isformed from a bottom 3 and sides 4 which are preferably of arcuate shapeas shown, the highest point of the bottom being at the center of thereceptacle. From the center the bottom and sides curve downwardly towardthe two ends.

The ends 5 extend upwardly from the ends of the bottom 3 to which theyare connected by a curved portion which is the reverse of the generalcurve of said bottom, and I prefer that the ends 5 extend upwardly at anangle in the manner shown. Thus, when crackers are placed within thecontainer, they will feed by a gravity toward either end andthe leadingcracker at each end will follow the curvature of the bottom and beforced by the weight of following crackers to at least partially followthe reverse curve connecting the bottom ends in a manner which willslightly elevate the first leading cracker or two, as shown in Fig. 1.This enables a person to grasp a cracker more easily.

To further assist the removal of crackers from the holder, the uppercorners of the sides 4 are provided with cut-out portions 6 to exposethe upper side edges of several of the crackers.

A top 1 is formed to fit the arcuate upper edges of the sides 4 and isprovided with a pair of grooves 8 which will fit over the edges of saidsides. Centrally of the top, the groove 8 is deepened to form a socketfor the upstanding ears 9 at the medial portions of the sides 4. Thisprovides a locking arrangement for the cover which will prevent it fromsliding from its proper position. This is necessary because, as will beseen, the ends of the top 1 terminate at the cut-out portions 6 in thesides 4, and there is no end abutment for said top portion A suitablehandle Ill, in the form of a knob, is provided for the top and shortsupporting legs ll may be formed to support the container.

While I have illustrated and described a container which is regularlyare shaped in form, it is, of course, possible to provide a constructionwherein the bottom slants downwardly toward the ends in a relativelystraight line. In this case, the top would be similarly shaped and itwould be unnecessary to provide the lugs 9 since the angularity of thesloping upper edges of the sides would hold the top in its properposition.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various partswithout departing fromthe scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A holder for crackers, biscuits and the like comprising a bodyportion having an arcuate bottom and sides Whose edges are curved to fitsaid bottom, and with the highest point of the are at the center of saidbody, said sides having cut-out portions at their upper corners, and atop extending along the upper edges of said sides and terminating atsaid cut-out portions.

2. A holder for crackers, biscuits and the like comprising a body havingan arcuate bottom and side portions whose lower edges are curved to fitsaid bottom, ends connecting said sides, said sides having cut-outportions at their upper corners, a removable top on said sides, the endsof said top terminating at said cut-out portions, and means forcentering said top between said cut-out portions.

3. A holder for crackers, biscuits and the like comprising a bottomhaving a high portion and a low portion, side walls and end walls, saidside walls having cut-outs at their upper corners adjacent the lowportion of said bottom, and a removable top member covering intermediateportions of the holder between said cutouts and terminating adjacentsaid cut-outs to permit grasping and withdrawal of crackers positionedat said cut-outs, said top member having means for positioning itrelative to said cutouts to prevent said top from covering said cutouts.

JOHN E. STEVENS.

